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Portland schools urged to deploy stored HEPA units as staff outline new ventilation standards
Summary
The Board of Education facility committee heard expert testimony and staff briefings on ventilation design for new schools, an inventory showing thousands of portable purifiers in storage, and questions about deployment, maintenance, and CO2 monitoring; presenters recommended full use of donated units and layered strategies combining ventilation and filtration.
The Facility Improvement and Oversight Committee of the Portland Public Schools (PPS) on April 21 heard public comment and expert testimony urging the district to move stored portable air purifiers into classrooms and to maintain stronger, consistent indoor‑air monitoring and maintenance.
The committee’s chair, Virginia LaForte, opened the meeting on indoor air quality and introduced the presenters and public commenters. Angela Bonilla, president of the Portland Association of Teachers, told the panel she supports projects that expand filtration in classrooms and urged the district to adopt building‑specific safety plans and mandatory practices so cleaner air is sustained regardless of leadership changes.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Jerome Adams recommended rapid deployment and monitoring of portable HEPA purifiers, calling them “a proven low cost way” to increase clean air exchanges and reduce illness and absenteeism. Volunteer expert Effie…
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